


Leap Of Faith

by HandmaidenOfHorror



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Afterlife, Fluff and Angst, Hugs, Kissing, M/M, Post-Series, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:22:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27122455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HandmaidenOfHorror/pseuds/HandmaidenOfHorror
Summary: Laurent is crossing the gates one last time.
Relationships: Aleron & Laurent (Captive Prince), Auguste & Laurent (Captive Prince), Damen/Laurent (Captive Prince), Hennike & Laurent (Captive Prince), Laurent & Nicaise (Captive Prince)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 30
Collections: Afterlife Flash Exchange





	Leap Of Faith

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Nununununu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nununununu/gifts).



His Highness Laurent of Vere, Grandfather Of The Empress Of The Known World, died peacefully in his sleep at the respectable age of eighty. Upon hearing of his passing, the Empress announced a year of mourning, but the emeritus king, loved by his subjects, was mourned by them even without the official endorsement. He found his final resting place in the Kings’ Tomb in Marlas, the former battlefield turned into a symbol of newfound unity that birthed an empire, alongside his husband who has predeceased him by a decade.

For his world, this was the epilogue to the story of king Laurent. For Laurent, it was a beginning of a new journey.

***

“Laurent?” the king heard a gentle voice calling him in his sleep, “Open your eyes, Laurent dear.”

Laurent obeyed, and immediately realized he was not in his sleeping chamber. Instead, he found himself in his childhood room in the Arles palace, decorated the way it were when he was a little boy. He moved his gaze to where the voice was coming from, only to see a face he hasn’t seen for seventy years.

“Mother,” Laurent whispered, looking at his mother’s painfully youthful face and gentle smile despite tears streaming from her eyes.

“Laurent,” queen Hennike replied, “I missed you so much!”

She hugged Laurent tightly, the king realizing that he had a body of a child.

“I am dead, am I not?” he whispered into his mother’s ear.

“You are, Laurent, and as much as I love seeing you again, I would have died a second time to let you live longer,” she pulled back from her hug, “And as much as I would love you to stay here longer, you will have to continue on to cross over properly.”

She gestured to the door to the room. Laurent stood up from the bed and took a few steps before turning to his mother.

“Will I see you again?” he asked.

“Yes!” the queen replied, “We will all be together at the end.”

Laurent crossed the threshold.

***

“Laurent!” the king heard a deep yet youthful voice just as he stepped into the soft grass (laws of symbolism apparently win over real world architecture in the afterlife) and even before a pair of strong arms embraced him, he knew exactly who was waiting for him.

“I am so sorry, Laurent,” Auguste cried while hugging the teenaged Laurent so strong the younger boy found it hard to breath.

( _How ridiculous_ , thought Laurent briefly before being consumed by all the feelings _Auguste_ brought with his presence.)

“I am so sorry I couldn’t protect you, Laurent,” Auguste continued, “I should have been with you, I should have taken the burden, I should have crushed _the snake_ -“

“Don’t talk about him,” Laurent interrupted, “It was impossible for you to do anything else.”

“I’m sorry,” said Auguste as he pulled out of the hug, and Laurent knew their time together is short.

“I missed you so much it was unbearable,” Laurent admitted, “and I would have done almost anything to bring you back, but in the end, I found happiness. I guess father is waiting for me now, isn’t he?”

“In the throne room,” replied Auguste, and Laurent looked at the main entrance to the palace.

“See you again soon,” he told he older brother before opening the gate.

***

As expected, he found himself in the throne room, still in the same gangly teenage body. His father was already there, standing silent. Laurent replied alike. They stood motionless and silent for a few moments before Aleron finally spoke.

“Good work,” he moved his chin towards the door out, “and good luck.”

Laurent moved on without saying a word. He didn’t need to.

***

Laurent found himself in the banquet room, and he briefly froze in place. Even after all these years, he wasn’t ready to see _him_ again. Especially when his body was that of barely an adult.

“He’s not there,” a childish voice sounded, “and he will never be.”

Laurent moved his gaze around, startled by the voice, but when he found its owner he couldn’t help but let out a pearly laughter.

“What’s so funny,” Nicaise deadpanned, sitting cross legged at the place reserved to the head of the state.

“I missed you so much,” said Laurent, walking towards Nicaise, “You saved me, saved us, and yet I couldn’t save you. I am so sorry, Nicaise.”

“Don’t bother with the melancholic crap,” the boy replied, but Laurent could clearly see he was crying too, “I am here to ensure you go all the way without screwing up. After all, I want that ear ring back.”

“Can I hug you, Nicaise?” Laurent asked softly.

“When you are finished with the crossing, maybe,” the boy replied, “so don’t make us wait.”

“I’ll finish as soon as possible,” Laurent promised and walked past Nicaise.

***

Laurent stepped into the balcony of the royal palace in Ios, where the person he wanted to see the most, whom he missed the most, whom he was both excited and anxious to meet again was waiting for him.

“Lau-“ Damianos couldn’t even finish saying his love’s name when Laurent silenced his with a kiss.

The last time he was kissing Damianos’ lips, it was a kiss of goodbye on his husband’s cold lips. How good it felt to feel him warm and alive and breathing again! The kiss lasted long minutes until both of them were short of air and had to break it. Then, they both laughed.

“It’s so funny,” Laurent said, “We are all dead yet our bodies still feel the need to breath!”

“Yeah, it cracks me out all the time,” Damianos agreed.

Then, they gazed into each other’s eyes for both a second and an eternity. They didn’t need to say any more, as they’ve been together for so long they knew perfectly what the other was feeling and thinking. Finally, Laurent spoke.

“Is it the end?” he asked.

“Nearly,” Damianos replied and his gaze moved to the right, where the spectacular view of the Akielonian capital was replaced by warm, yellow light.

“So,” Laurent said slowly, “Do I have to jump into the light?”

“Leap of faith, of a kind,” replied Damianos, grasping Laurent’s hand firmly, “I will be with you all the time.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Laurent replied.

The two lovers climbed the balustrade and jumped into the light as the memory of the palace was disintegrating around them.

**Author's Note:**

> My headcannon is that Laurent and Damianos eventually united their nations with Vask (ruled by Damianos' descendant) and Patras later joining into large state known as Ekumena. Though technically Akielon-Vere was incorporated into Vask, each nation had a significant degree of internal autonomy.  
> And what awaits Laurent and Damianos after the leap of faith? That's left to you, dear Reader ;)


End file.
